The List: 10 Jan 1997 (Issue 296)

I the Hunchback or llotre Dane (PG) (Gary Trousdale/Kirk Wise. US. I996) With the voices of Demi Moore. Tom Hulce. Kevin Kline. 90 mins. Young Quasimodo is kept prisoner in medieval Paris's great cathedral by the evil Judge Frollo. but when the beautiful gypsy Esmeralda comes on the scene. the boy's heroic instincts save the day. Strong vocal performances. stunning cityscapes. grand songs and an expertly mature handling of adult themes make this an instant classic with plenty to say about moral hypocrisy. Central: ABC.

I leontess (15) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. I953) Montgomery Clift. Karl Malden. 95 mins. Quebec priest Clift hears a confession from a murderer. btrt discretion and duty lead him to become the prime suspect. Hitchcock's study on the nature of guilt is available now in a sharper print. and providing an opportunity to compare it with Robert Lepage‘s The Confessional. Edinburgh: Filmhouse.

I Independence Day ( l2) (Roland Emmerich. US. I996) Will Smith. JeffGoldblum. Bill Pullman. l50 mins. Day One: alien ships hover over the world‘s major cities. Day Two: they attack. Day Three: mankind goes into hokum overdrive and gears up to kick some alien ass. A SOs-style invasion B-movie with 90s state-of-thc art effects. Independence Day is popcorn value- for-money at its very best. A gripping scare scenario that doesn‘t take itself too seriously. throws in some conspiracy theories and rounds it off with the most devastating disaster scenes ever ptrt on film. Edinburgh: UCI. Fife: New Picture House.

I Jane Eyre (PG) (Franco Zeflirelli. UK/ltaly. I996) William Hurt. Charlotte Gainsbour‘g. Joan Plowright. I I3 mins. A decent enough adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's literary classic which features weighty acting from Hurt and the British thesps in support. The atmosphere is effective. if not entirely remarkable. as Zefﬁrelli manages to tune into the darker. more brooding aspects of the novel. Strathclyde: East Kilbride Arts Centre.

I Jingle All The Way (PG) (Brian Levant. US. I996) Arnold Schwarzenegger. Sinbad. Phil Hartman. 90mins. Having failed to learn his lesson with Kindergarten Cup. Arnie again tries for a broad comedy with children in this attempt at a ‘heartwarming' Christmas movie. tackling the Yuletide shopping crowds in search of Minnesota's last remaining Turbo Man toy.

Running gags are rtrn into the ground. the slapstick is Iumpen and the spurious moral sentiments hypocritical. A real seasonal turkey. General release.

I Kids (l8) (Larry Clark. US. I995) Leo Fitzpatrick. Justin Pierce. Chloe Sevigny. 93 mins. Photographer Clark brings a gritty yet hip approach to his portrait of urban youth overdosed on sex and drugs. Verbally. but not visually. explicit. the film is as bleak as it gets. as HIV positive Jennie spends a day tracking down arrogant ‘virgin surgeon' Telly. Serious issues are touched on in an unadomed fashion. btrt it's up to us to discuss a way to ﬁnd the solutions. Fife: New Picture House.

I The Last Of The High Kings ( l5) (David Keating. Ireland. I996) Jared Leto. Gabriel Byme. Catherine O'Hara. 104 mins. During the school holidays in Dublin's summer of I977. Frankie learns the ways of the world even though the girls remain unobtainable and his actor dad (Byme) is a ﬂeeting presence. Yes. it‘s another rites-of-passage tale. but better than most due to its sure sense of territory and sharp wit. A wee jewel. Glasgow: GFT.

I living In Oblivion (t5) (Tom DiCillo. US. I995) Steve Buscemi. Catherine Keener. Dermot Mulroney. 98 mins. The boom keeps getting into the shot. the male and female stars are sleeping with each other. the smoke machine's on the blink. the dwarf objects to his typecasting . . . all of the nightmares of low budget filmmaking seem to have descended upon the head of Nick Reve (Buscemi). DiCillo's hilarious follow-up to Johnny Suede has a very cool cast. who all bring a human touch to their roles. This isn't just for film buffs. it's for anyone who has struggled to achieve something in a group situation against the odds. Edinburgh: Cameo.

I loaded ( l8) (Anna Campion. UK/New Zealand. I994) Oliver Milbum. Catherine McConnack. Thandie Newton. 96 mins. Seven posh young wannabe filmmakers go off to a deserted mansion to make a crass honor flick. take acid to reveal their true selves and face disaster around the corner. Anna (sister of Jane) Campion's debut makes faltering grasps at being an ideas piece. with the only monsters leaping around the characters‘ heads than from behind the curtains. But there‘s little in the way of tension. horror or humour. and the characters are such an obnoxious lot you can‘t wait to get away from them. See review. Edinburgh: Filmhouse. I lone Star ( l5) (John Sayles. US. I996) Chris

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Cooper. Elizabeth Pena. Kris Ktistofferson. I35 mins. When a modem-day Texan sheriff investigates a decades-old murder. past clashes with present and local mythologies have to be re-examined. Sayles‘s various sub-plots don't distract from each other: in fan. they re-inforce and counterpoint. building a complex social. historical and political backdrop to the rivetting thriller on the surface. Another masterpiece from America‘s greatest independent director. Glasgow: GFT.

I Matilda (PG) (Danny De Vito. US. I996) Mara Wilson. Danny De Vito. Embeth Davidtz. 98 mins. Capturing the delicious wickedness of Roald Dahl's writing. director De Vito fully exploits exaggeration and playful camera work to tell the tale of a gifted child who uses her super brain to outwit her neglectl’ul parents. Offsetting the lovable Matilda against a series of horribly inflated bad characters. the film's empowering message for children will appeal to the mischevious kid in everyone. Glasgow: Odeons. Showcase. Virgin. Edinburgh: Odcort. UCI. Strathclyde: Odeons. UCls.

I le Mepris (IS) (Jean-Luc Godard. France. I963) Brigitte Bardot. Jack Palance. Michel Piccoli. 103 mins. Godard‘s comment on international filmmaking is re-released in a new print. A scriptwriter is increasingly despised by his wife as he tries to set up a ﬁlm in Rome to be directed by Fritz Lang. The breakdown of a marriage contrasts with the chequebook wedding that marked so much colloborative ﬁlmmaking during the 60s. while the Mediterranean photography makes this the most handsome film Godard ever made. Edinburgh: Cameo. Fife: Adam Smith.

I Mlchael Collins (l5) (Neil Jordan. US. I996) Liam Neeson. Julia Roberts. Alan Rickman. I32 mins. Winner of the Best Film and Best Actor awards at the Venice Film Festival and the cause of knee-jerk criticism from the right-wing press. Jordan’s stirring historical epic is an honest portrayal of a ragged and bloody conflict between the British imperial power and idealistic lrislt Nationalists early this century. The action is well handled. the characterisations strong and the bnrtality on both sides is never glossed over. Glasgow: ABC. Central: ABC. Fife: ABC. Strathclyde: Magnum.

I The Mirror N38 itvo Faces ( l5) (Barbra Streisand. US. I996) Barbra Streisand. Jeff Bridges. Lauren Bacall. I26 mins. Director Streisand plays an unman'ied university professor who meets stuffy maths lecturer Bridges. btrt is hampered in love by her overbearing mother (Bacall) and her new amour's desire for a partner of the head. not the heart. A familiarly plotted romantic comedy that manages a surprising number of laughs. but lacks a strong central dramatic relationship. Bacall steals every scene. See preview and review. General release.

I Mission: Impossible (PG) (Brian De Palrna. US. I996) Tom Cruise. Jon Voight. Emrnanuelle Beart. IIO mins. Unlike the fondly remembered TV series which pushed the notion of teamwork. this lavishly produced Ilollywood thriller is driven by Cruise‘s solo star power. As the only survivor of a hit on his espionage team. he races across the world. setting up dorrble bluffs to flush out a mole. There are a couple of dazzling set pieces. but they're padded out by yards of complicated plot. Slick. but cold. Edinburgh: Odeon.

I 101 Dalmatians (U) (Stephen Herek. US. I996) Glenn Close. Joely Richardson. Jeff Daniels. l03 mins. Disney turns one of its favourite animated films into a live action pantomime with spodges of Home Alone buffoonery. making sure there are plenty of dogs to make the kids go ‘aaahhh'. The story remains pretty much untouched — vile villainess Cnrella De Vil (Close) kidnaps enough spotty pups to make a stunning coat. but the animal world gets the better of her — but so does the old-fashioned morality. which stresses the sanctity of marriage and that a woman's place is by her man's side. General release.

I The Preacher's Wile (U) (Penny Marshall. US. I996) Denzel Washington. Whitney Huston. Courtney B. Vance. l24 mins. A remake of l947’s whimsical fantasy The Bis/mpk' Wile - rather like It 's A Wonderful Life in a dog collar - this tale of a devoted parish priest whose faith is restored and marriage saved by an angel sent to

Earth is somewhat cloying. The setting and all- black context gives Huston the excuse for indulging in gospel numbers. but it's all too sentimental to make much of an impact. See review. General release from Fri I7. I Rainbow (PG) (Bob Hoskins. US. I995) Bob Hoskins. Teny Finn. Jacob Tiemey. 9| mins. Four precocious kids from New Jersey ride to the American rnidwest on a rainbow. but when one pockets some gold. the safety of the world is in jeopardy. The characters lack warmth. the plot unfolds with little humour and minimal drama. Patchy. insubstantial and charmless. Central: ABC. I Itehecca (PG) (Alfred Hitchcock. US. I940) Laurence Olivier. Joan Fontaine. Judith Anderson. I30 mins. Wonderfully atmospheric romance. made when Hitch was at his height. The young bride of rich widower Maxim de Winter joins him at his grand mansion - Manderley ~ but everywhere she turns. there are memories of his first wife. whose death is surrounded by mystery. Anderson's overwrought Gothic housekeeper Mrs Danvers steals the show. Central: MacRobert. I Rendezvous In Paris ( l 5) (Eric Rohmer'. France. I995) Clara Bellar. Mathias Megard. Atrrore Rauscher. I00 mins. Rohmer‘s compendium of three short tales breaks little new ground. btrt retains his trademark sophistication and gives substantial roles to a fresh-faced young cast. Romance is at the heart of each section. linked by a street accordianist and chanteuse. btrt it's really Paris that's the star. captured by the eye of an insider. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Sense And Sensibility (U) (Ang Lee. US/UK. I995) Emma Thompson. Kate Winslet. Alan Rickrnan. Hugh Grant. I35 mins. Denied their inheritance when the father of the household dies. the female members of the Dashwood family face a precarious future which complicates the romances of sensible Elinor (Thompson) and emotive Marianne (Winslet). Thompson's adaptation keeps the wordplay engaginly tart and sharp-witted. but never loses sight of the powerful frustrations simmering beneath the surface. Infinitely more satisfying than your typical ﬂuffy period piece. Edinburgh: Film Guild. Central: MacRober‘t. I Seven ( l8) (David Fincher. US. I995) Brad Pitt. Morgan Freeman. Gwyneth Paltrow. l27 mins. The outline is familiar — two cops track down a serial killer — but Seven is a step ahead of its rivals. From its opening title sequence onwards. it‘s an extremely dark movie which winds through the most twisted recesses of human nature. Each death is a graphic interpretation of one of the seven deadly sins. giving Alien 3 director Fincher the material for an intense stylistic exercise in horror. Edinburgh: Cameo. I The Sheltering Sky ( I8) (Bernardo Bertolucci. UK/ltaly. I990) Debra Winger. John Malkovich. Campbell Scott. I38 mins. The subtlety of Paul Bowles‘s novel is not fully communicated. and Bettolucci's alterations have been frowned upon. btrt ironically the departures from the text are the source of the most intense cinematic images. In the central roles as the doomed American couple seeking adventure. Winger’s Kit may be flawed brrt Malkovich's Port is a superbly intuitive characterisation. Shown in 70mm. Glasgow: GFT. I Shinetlz) (Scott Hicks. Australia. I996) Geoffrey Rtrsh. Noah Taylor. Armin Mueller- Stahl. l05 mins. Winner of nine top awards at Australia's equivalent of the Oscars. Shine is a remarkable and devastating film about the life of child prodigy and pianist David Helfgott. who was forced to retire from the stage due to a mental breakdown. but returned later in life. The performances show real love. while the recital passages are presented with a conviction that underlines the quality of the film as a whole. Glasgow: GET. Edinburgh: Cameo. I Sleeperu l5) (Barry Levinson. US. I996) Jason Patric. Brad Pitt. Robert De Niro. Dustin Hoffman. Kevin Bacon. l57 mins. Four boyhood friends are thrown into a juvenile detention centre when a prank goes wrong. and are sexually and psychologicall abused by the guards. Years later. two of the boys murder the ringleader and their pals try to pull offa scam that will see them go free. In its film form. Lorenzo Carcaterra's controversial ‘true' novel becomes a nostaglic rites-of-passage tale. tough prison ‘message‘ picture and edge-of-seat courtroom drama rolled into one powerhouse of a movie. General release. I Some Mother’s Son ( l 5) (Terry George. Ireland/US. I996) Helen Mirren. Fionnula Flanagan. Aidan Gillen. l l2 mins. This gripping account of the IRA hunger strikes during the ' early 80s focuses on two fictional mothers. one a gentle pacifist. the other with a fierce hatred of soldiers. Terry George. writer of In The Name Of The Father makes his debut as director and. while his film is not overly objective. it does recognise humanity on all sides. What impresses